Investors one-year losses grow to 49% as the stock sheds US$56m this past week

The simplest way to benefit from a rising market is to buy an index fund. While individual stocks can be big winners, plenty more fail to generate satisfactory returns. That downside risk was realized by Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (NYSE:HY) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 50%. That's disappointing when you consider the market returned 8.1%. We note that it has not been easy for shareholders over three years, either; the share price is down 38% in that time. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 14% in the last 90 days. However, one could argue that the price has been influenced by the general market, which is down 5.9% in the same timeframe.

Given the past week has been tough on shareholders, let's investigate the fundamentals and see what we can learn.

View our latest analysis for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling fell to a loss making position during the year. While this may prove temporary, we'd consider it a negative, so it doesn't surprise us that the stock price is down. We hope for shareholders' sake that the company becomes profitable again soon.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Hyster-Yale Materials Handling's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 8.1% in the last year, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling shareholders lost 49% (even including dividends). However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 5% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Hyster-Yale Materials Handling better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.